bottlecaplogs | Noelle's December Catch-All

Oh, it was nothing! [It was a bit of work, but Mayaka doesn't need to know that. Noelle takes the non-brush end of a paintbrush in her mouth and begins to paint.

... Unfortunately for her, she realizes her mistake as soon as Mayaka asks her a question. This worked better when she was alone. Noelle does her best to prop up the paintbrush before replying.]

Hmm... are you from a part of the world where Christmas is a more personal and, uh, romantic holiday? [She's heard about this!] Where I'm from, it was more about spending time with family. And we really went all out! Decorating the house, my mom throwing a big Christmas party, making cookies and sending cards, caroling...

[For a moment, her face falls. Maybe she's missing all that right now.]

... um, a lot of stuff. It was probably our favorite time of the year, fahaha.

That's true. Where I'm from, there's lots of stuff targeted at couples during this time of year. Fancy light displays to visit on a date, special dining promotions for two, that sort of thing. My family doesn't really have any Christmas traditions apart from eating KFC.

[Mayaka doesn't have any strong feelings towards the holiday because of this, though she takes joy in preparing gifts for friends. Noelle, on the other hand, sounds like she has lots of precious memories associated with the season.] It sounds fun, the way you describe it.

[The Sneasel leans over with curiosity, to see what Noelle had started to paint.]

What were to going to draw?

It was fun! But definitely, like, a lot of work. Just getting to hang out and eat KFC sounds way more laid-back. [She's curious about Mayaka's family, but she doesn't want to pry-- it might make her sad, since they're stuck here for the foreseeable future.

Instead, she focuses on the art in front of them. She's begun to paint a rendition of a Christmas tree with ornaments and an angel on top. It seems simple enough that she can do it without using hands.]

Just a Christmas tree! Nothing super special, haha. What about you?

It's nice and festive! Perfect for the season even if it's not special. [Mayaka begins to realise that Noelle doesn't seem to very confident in herself.

[She decides to follow the Deerling's cue and begins painting a deep green fir on her parchment. She pays extra attention to the branches, going over them a few times with brush strokes to mimic the needles of a Christmas tree.]

Since there's not a lot of space for trees down here, maybe we can paint a few to make up for it.

[She scrutinizes her own painting, frowning a little at how amateur it looks since she can only make basic movements with her claws for now. She doesn't apply the same critical eye to Noelle's attempt, though.]

Wow, you're really good at this! [She sounds genuine, at least. Her Christmas tree is more of a solid triangular shape as opposed to painting individual needles.] Can I ask how you learned to draw? I used to try and follow some tutorials online, but I wasn't that good at it.

Uh....[Mayaka falters at Noelle's question, and feigns busyness by beginning to paint the next Christmas tree on an empty sheet of paper.]

I've just always liked drawing since I was a kid. My parents thought sending me to art class was a waste of money, so I borrowed guidebooks from the library and watched videos too. [This is all true, just a convenient omitting of the fact that she's always tried to emulate the manga she loves.]

Well, it took me a lot of practice, but I can't say I'm... [The Sneasel trails off, quickly realising that saying she's 'not good' might be too careless. She knows all too well how frustrating it can be to hear those words from someone you think is better than you, especially when it comes to a topic like art.]

... I'm always looking to improve. But, if I let my inner critic stop me from drawing, I don't think I'd have as much fun with it.

... gosh, I'm sorry your parents didn't really let you pursue your interests. [She seems to be lost in thought. Finally, she decides to speak up.] Actually, I did all sorts of stuff, like... run cross country, sing choir, tutor... and it was fun, but a lot of that is because my mom thought a bunch of extracurriculars would look good on a college application.

Besides... old friends, [And a certain missing person, but she avoids thinking about that right now,] only my dad knows I really like... um. Video games, and posting about gaming findings on my blog, and dorky stuff like that. My mom said it's "not productive."

Yes, while that does indeed sound like 'nerdy' stuff for Mayaka, she's not any better since she draws manga and makes cosplays.

"As long as you're not neglecting your responsibilities, you shouldn't feel bad about spending time on your interests," she says this decisively. "And even though you were forced to do all that by your mother, that sounds really impressive."

"It must be pretty boring here with no video games to play, huh?" the Sneasel asks with a little chuckle as she continues painting.

"Haha... sometimes. You must miss some stuff from back home, too, right? Hobbies besides drawing?"

She takes a moment to quickly add a little more to her painting while she listens. Noelle didn't think any of what she did was 'impressive', personally.

When it comes to hobbies, reading and drawing manga are the passions that take up most of Mayaka's time. She's at least thankful she can still do both in Bottlecap Bay, even though she feels severely limited by her claws now.

The Sneasel steps back and scrutinizes her current painting, a little frown on her face as she decides that it could look better. On to the next one, then.

"Not really hobbies, but I do miss certain people." This naturally makes her think of Satoshi, and her cheeks redden as she gets a bit flustered. It must be obvious against her white fur. But it's totally normal to miss the people you like, isn't it?

She does notice that Mayaka gets flustered. Very interesting. "Certain people? Like friends, or... someone special?"

Noelle won't pry if Mayaka gets too embarrassed. But she can't help being curious!

Meanwhile, she places her current painting aside and decides on the next one. Maybe a snowflake... though it will have to be a light blue instead of pure white.

Mayaka sputters at Noelle's question. If it was someone she was less familiar with, she'd stomp off in a huff and ignore the question, but this earnest Deerling has successfully managed to win her over, so she can't bear to be quite so terse.

"Just some silly guy," she mumbles, feeling the heat of the blush spreading across her cheeks. "I miss my friends too, but I think if he were here, he'd know how to cheer me up easily."

Of course, now it was payback time.

"What about you, L-chan? You have someone you like too?"

She nods, not making fun at all. This person sounds nice... Noelle wishes he was here to help cheer Mayaka up. Having someone from your home can help the homesick feeling, too.

"Umm, well..." She brought this upon herself by asking. It's only fair to be honest in return, right? "There's someone I like here, I guess. But, um, I don't know if you've met? ... Shoka?"

"Really??" Mayaka reacts with delighted surprise. "No I haven't, what's she like?"

The Sneasel has momentarily abandoned her art. Her attention is completely on Noelle now.

"She's so cool!" she blurts out. She's happy to have someone to talk to about this. "Shoka is, like... kind of hard to approach at first, because you think she's way more popular and cool than you, you know? And she can be a little sarcastic, but she doesn't mean anything bad by it. Deep down, she's really nice! She's always there for me, and she doesn't mind when I ramble about nerdy stuff."

Noelle is wagging her tail without even realizing it.

Mayaka brightens, mirroring Noelle's excitement, before settling into a smug grin.

"I'm kinda jealous. You're able to gush about her so easily."

If only Satoshi would do the same! But Mayaka is no better. While she finds no trouble expressing her thoughts, when it comes to matters of the heart, she's always been too self-conscious to go all out like Noelle.

All the embarrassing things she said catch up to her. She turns away, trying to hide her face. Her tail is still wagging, though.

"Um... you're a good listener, Maya-chan. I mean, you're easy to talk to." Not to mention she's been wanting to talk about Shoka for a while. She has so many feelings about her. "I think you two would get along if you met. She's in the Oran Berries guild, like me."

Noelle wonders about the 'just some silly guy' that she mentioned. "Do you ever find it hard to, like, talk about your feelings?"

"It can be a bit embarrassing to talk about what you like about a person," Mayaka admits, before her mouth turns into an indignant frown.

"But for how you feel about them, whether you like them or not? It's only right to make it clear to them."

She thinks about how she'd been so forward with her feelings for Satoshi, and how he'd put off replying to her direct confession. Because, unlike her, he was the type to meander and avoid talking about the difficult things.

"Isn't it tiring to have to hide how you feel towards someone?"

Abruptly, her tail stops wagging. Oh, this suddenly feels very personal.

"W-well, I mean... I don't know if she feels that way about me. We're both friends and guildmates, so it would just make things awkward if she didn't feel that way, you know?" she says.

"I suppose so." Though she doesn't sound convinced, Mayaka can't fault Noelle for feeling this way. There's so much to lose, and you might get hurt, or end up hurting someone in the process. Even so...

"It'd be dishonest, to ignore how you feel. We can't use our fears as an excuse to avoid doing things that are difficult."

"... you're right." She can't ignore it forever. In fact, she left the previous world without telling a certain someone how she felt. Now, she never will. What if that happens again?

She feels sad thinking about who Mayaka might have left behind. They'll just have to work harder to find a way home. (But then that will mean leaving Shoka, won't it? She tries not to think about that.) "Thank you, really. I'm glad I can trust you." By which she means: don't tell anyone!

There is a twinkle in Mayaka's eye which indicates that she completely understands what Noelle is trying to say.

"Your secret's safe with me, L-chan!"

Noelle's December Catch-All

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sorry for replying late m(_ _)m

no worries, happy new year ! 🎉

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(sorry this is late... again! also this is funny since i think mayaka and shoka have met by now)

all good !! and yeah hehe mayaka doesnt know shoka's a mimikyu till they meet

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good to wrap !